Although the move to the Wii didn't really benefit Okami, it didn't need to. The core package is still fantastic.
Cons: The Wii version's brush controls are a little finicky; Combat is too easy; End portions of the game are pretty repetitive
Oh Clover how you will be missed. In the short years of your activity you managed to create some of the most fun and unique games around. And Okami is chief among them.
Let's get this out of the way: Okami borrows heavily from The Legend of Zelda series. The flow of the game feels very similar down to that initial feeling you get from entering a dungeon. The puzzles are fun and even when you are outside of the dungeon there are usually some enjoyable side quests that keep your experience pleasant.
But alas, there is a downside to this inspiration. Okami also borrows the Zelda series' simplistic and easy combat. Okami's combat isn't particularly unique, but it puts a bit of a twist on your average action-adventure combat by forcing you to be closed in a circle with your enemies and by forcing you to use your brush techniques (more on that in a bit) to expose their weak points. Unfortunately the combat (minus the bosses) is just too easy to truly engage like the rest of the game.
I'm extremely confident that Okami could have replicated the Zelda series with a different mascot and still gotten equally great results, but they threw a twist into the gameplay. Instead of a usual arsenal of items Okami allows you to turn the world into a canvas at any time. From here you use your Celestial Brush (controlled in the Wii version by pointing the Wiimote at the screen) to paint out various objects into the world that you can use to solve the puzzles. This unique approach just feels right and helps set Okami apart.
Unfortunately I must note that the Wii version had some issues with the controls for the brush. Nothing that ruins the game, but oftentimes simple actions would become ordeals in themselves because the controls didn't want to work properly. In exchange though, you do get quicker load times in this version. It's a fantastic game either way regardless of which system you experience it on.
The quest is a long one that will take you roughly 30 (yes you read that right) hours to beat, but other than a kind of repetitive section towards the end the game never lets up. Part of this is surely the story where you play as Amaterasu, a goddess who takes the form of a white wolf and is tasked with ridding the world of evil one region at a time after the evil eight-headed dragon Orochi is revived. The story remains engaging throughout, packing twists and engaging dialogue that actually make the roughly 30 hours fly by.
Of course to experience the story you have to play through the game. However, you DON'T need to play through it to notice the beautiful art style. Okami has a unique brand of cel-shaded art that emulates an old Japanese watercolor art style and it never ceases to amaze. You get an extra feeling of elation when you bring back color to the corrupted sections of the world because it just looks so good. Sound effects and music (which takes a Japanese influence as well) are likewise also pretty good although less impressive helping round out the package.
Although minor issues such as controls and lack of difficulty plague Okami, there aren't any major areas lacking. This game delivers admirably on all fronts. It's fun, unique, long, pretty, and several other hyperbolic adjectives. It's also something you should most definitely experience.